Anna of Kleve, the Princess in the Portrait

by Alison Weir

  “Your Grace, hearty greetings, and welcome to Calais!” Lord Lisle was courtesy personified. When the pleasantries were done with, the procession re-formed, with each of the King’s gentlemen-at-arms riding together with one of Anna’s escorts.

  Within a mile of Calais’s gates, in an open space near a church, Anna saw the Lord High Admiral, the Earl of Southampton, waiting at the head of a large deputation to pay his respects. He looked impressive in his coat of purple velvet and cloth of gold, with a bejeweled seaman’s whistle hanging on a chain around his neck. The lords with him were wearing similar attire, and in attendance there were hundreds of gentlemen in coats of red damask and blue velvet, the colors of the royal arms of England. It seemed that the full panoply of English pageantry had been mustered in her honor.

  As the litter trundled toward the welcoming party, she felt nervous. These were her husband’s subjects, and they would be assessing and judging their new Queen. She must conduct herself in such a manner as to win their respect and—hopefully—their love. She sat upright, steeling herself to be smiling and gracious. Mother Lowe squeezed her hand. Courage! she seemed to be saying.

  The trumpets sounded again and the chariot drew to a halt. As Anna alighted, stepping for the first time onto English soil, every man in the Admiral’s suite knelt. He himself stepped forward and bowed low. Imposing and bull-like, with heavyset features, a prominent nose, and shrewd eyes, he looked formidable, a man one would not want to cross, yet as she held out her hand, he smiled warmly.

  “Your Grace, these gentlemen are of the King’s household,” he told her. Again and again, she extended her hand to be kissed, noticing that Sir Thomas Seymour had a handsome face and a mischievous eye, Sir Francis Bryan a rakish grin under his eyepatch, and that there was an indefinable something about Mr. Culpeper that repelled her. Mr. Cromwell, a personable young man in well-cut clothes, was surely Lord Cromwell’s son.

  It was afternoon by the time they came in sight of the harbor at Calais, with its great gate standing sentinel on the quayside. Numerous ships and boats were moored by the watergate, where a round tower guarded the entrance to the harbor.

  Anna marveled at her first ever sight of the sea; she could smell the salt tang of the choppy water, and hear the cries of seagulls wheeling overhead. Very soon, she would be out on that cold, gray expanse, crossing the narrow strait that lay between mainland Europe and England. On the horizon, she could see the English coastline.

  “That, Madam, is the Lantern Gate, the main entrance to the town,” the Governor told her, pointing ahead, as Susanna leaned over to translate. “The city walls extend to the castle of Rysebank. Calais has been an English possession since it fell to King Edward the Third about two hundred years ago. Sadly, it is all that remains of England’s lands in France.”

  “I am sure the townsfolk are grateful to be English,” Anna said.

  The Admiral beamed. “Indeed they are, Madam. And Calais is of the highest importance to his Majesty, so he spares no expense in maintaining its defenses. I have charge of a strong garrison, with five hundred of the best soldiers and a troop of fifty horsemen.”

  They were almost at the Lantern Gate now. Suddenly, the royal ships in the harbor let off a salute of what sounded like hundreds of shots of guns, followed by an answering salute from the town, which lasted even longer. The noise was deafening.

  “What a marvelous welcome!” Anna shouted to Mother Lowe and Susanna. Leaning out of the chariot’s window, she thanked the Governor.

  “It was done on the King’s own orders, Madam,” he told her, “and it was my pleasure to obey.”

  “Your Grace, do you see that ship yonder?” the Admiral asked. “It is The Lyon, the ship that will carry you to England.” She was bedecked with myriad pennants of silk and gold, while the three vessels anchored beside her were trimmed with streamers, banners, and flags, and the sailors were all standing in formation on the rigging or the yardarms. As Anna passed through the Lantern Gate, the ships’ guns sounded another deafening salute, and when she emerged on the other side, there was such a cloud of smoke that not one of her train could see another. They were all coughing, astonished at what they had witnessed.

  “More marvels, my lords!” Anna observed, as soon as she could speak.

  Waiting on the other side of the gate was a richly gowned noblewoman dripping with jewels, and many ladies who sank into deep curtseys as Anna’s chariot appeared, to much cheering from the waiting crowds.

  “May I present my wife, your Grace?” the Governor said, as Anna stepped down from the litter. So this was the ambitious Lady Lisle! She was a proud matron with a dainty figure and a long, aristocratic nose.

  “Welcome to Calais, your Grace,” she boomed. Anna extended a gloved hand to be kissed.

  With her whole train behind her, and the Admiral walking at her side, she was escorted by Lord and Lady Lisle through narrow streets crammed with people craning their necks for a glimpse of their new Queen. Lined up on both sides, keeping order, were ranked five hundred soldiers in the King’s livery.

  Anna noticed that some of the spectators were pointing and laughing at her German maids.

  “Why do they laugh?” she asked, careful not to betray how disconcerted she felt.

  The Admiral looked embarrassed. “They have no manners,” he said. “I apologize for them. Madam, you will learn that the English people can be insular and narrow-minded. They regard anything foreign as strange, and seem to find something outlandish in your maids’ attire. Pay them no heed.”

  Anna glanced back at her maids, who were wearing demure black gowns and Stickelchen; their clothes were similar to hers, except that her gown was in black velvet banded with cloth of gold. Of course, the townsfolk would not dare laugh at her! She began fretting that Mutter’s sumptuous wardrobe would not be well received in England.

  The Governor was pointing out the glories of Calais: the fine church of St. Mary, the splendid Hôtel de Ville with its distinctive tower, dominating the marketplace, and the guildhall, which was called the Staple Inn. Drawn up in front were the merchants of the Staple, who presented Anna with a rich purse containing a hundred gold sovereigns. She thanked them heartily, and the procession moved on toward the palace of the Exchequer, where she was to lodge. Here, the Mayor of Calais bowed low and gave her another heavy purse of gold coins, and a jewel in the shape of the letter C.

  “It is for Calais, ja?” she asked.

  “No, Madam,” the interpreter said, “it stands for Cleves, in honor of your Grace.”

  She smiled her gratitude. Now was not the time to point out the correct spelling.

  The Exchequer was built around two courtyards, and handsomely appointed. A smell of fresh paint pervaded, and there was new rush matting on the floors. After the lords and the Mayor had brought Anna to the Queen’s lodgings, and promised to attend on her daily until she was ready to sail to Dover, she sank down on her bed, exhausted, as her women bustled around her, setting out her possessions.

  “There is no need to unpack much,” she told them. “I hope to leave for England in a day or so.” Dr. Wotton had thought they might go today, but it was too late now, and she could not disappoint her generous hosts by departing too soon.

  She got up and explored her fine suite of fourteen rooms, which were linked by a gallery overlooking a privy garden. A door, now locked, connected her bedchamber to the empty King’s apartments. The initials A.R. were blazoned everywhere, proclaiming to the world her queenly status, but when she looked closely, she discovered that the gilding on one or two was scuffed. These were not new at all. Then it dawned on her. These rooms had been Queen Anne’s. Had she ever stayed in them? Anna shivered.

  Suddenly, she felt very alone, and homesick. She wished Mutter could be here, and she could have done with Emily’s high-spirited chatter to divert her. She even found herself missing Wilhelm’s firm guidanc
e. How dreadful it would be if she never saw them again. If it lay within her power, she would, she would.

  She must not let herself be swamped by self-pity. Her path in life had been set. There was no point in being miserable.

  “Let’s have some wine!” she said to her ladies. “Anastasia, will you pour for us, please?”

  She took the proffered goblet and walked back into the gallery. It was hung with pictures, which were covered by curtains to preserve them from the sunlight shining through the latticed windows. Today, the skies were gray and overcast.

  She opened a pair of curtains to reveal a framed map of Calais, drawn with great skill. Her eyes widened when she uncovered what was hanging beside it—a portrait of a splendidly dressed, handsome man with close-cropped hair, a neatly trimmed beard, merry eyes, and a half-smile playing about his lips. Etched into the golden frame, at the bottom, were the words “King Henry the Eight.”

  She stared, enthralled. In a trice, the prospect of her marriage had become an exciting one. She could love this man, she had no doubt of it. His kindness and care for her comfort—they were all one with his portrait. How she wished she had seen his picture before! She would not have hesitated…

  She sped back to her bedchamber. Suddenly she could not wait to get to England.

  * * *

  —

  The Admiral came to see her that evening. She received him in her presence chamber.

  “I trust your Grace enjoyed a good supper,” he said.

  “The venison was delicious, my lord,” she told him.

  “I have written to inform his Majesty of your Grace’s arrival,” he said. “I also took occasion to praise the excellent qualities I have found in your Grace. I pray that your union will be blessed with children, so that, if anything befell my lord Prince, which God forfend, we might have another of the King’s blood to reign over us.”

  “That is my prayer too,” Anna replied, touched by his words, but troubled too. How would she cope with a pregnancy in a strange country, with a strange husband? Yet it was the lot of princesses to bear such things, and certainly the King would be delighted were she to bear him a child. She would be very pleased herself—and to rediscover that joy she had known with Otho, in doing that which God had intended for procreation. Her flesh warmed as she imagined what love would be like with her handsome King. And there would be another consolation too. Having lost one child, she knew she would find much-needed solace in another.

  “His Majesty is not a little desirous to have your Grace arrive in England,” the Admiral was saying.

  “I am desirous to meet his Majesty.” She smiled.

  “My orders are to escort you there with all speed. I’ve had a forecast for the tides drawn up for the next week. The afternoon tides will not serve, because it is not easy to make a safe landing by night. So, with your Grace’s consent, we will need to be on board, ready to sail, at four o’clock on Tuesday morning.”

  “I will be ready,” Anna told him. God send that the weather was kind to them.

  * * *

  —

  On Monday night, the Admiral appeared again, looking worried.

  “There is no wind, Madam. We cannot sail tomorrow. I am very sorry.”

  “Do you think we will be able to go the next day?” she asked, frustrated at yet another delay.

  “I hope so,” he answered. “In the meantime, I am arranging some entertainments to divert your Grace while you are detained here.”

  “That is most kind, my lord,” Anna said.

  After dinner, the Admiral took her and her ladies and the lords in her party to see the ships again, and had a banquet served to her on board The Lyon, at which marchpane, jellies, biscuits, and sugared spices were handed around. Afterward, jousts were held in her honor. It was enthralling watching the spectacle of the mounted knights, brave in their heraldic colors, charging at each other across the tiltyard, and bracing herself for the clash of lances. The English lords had challenged her German ones, and she could see the colors of Otho von Wylich, and held her breath when he entered the lists, only letting it go when he emerged victorious. Tournaments were rarely seen at the court of Kleve, but Dr. Wotton assured her that they were very popular in England, and she would be sure to see another one soon.

  “His Majesty himself is one of the greatest champions of the joust,” he informed her. Anna was impressed, for the King was forty-eight, and all the knights she had seen today were young men. It was good to know that her future husband was fit and active.

  To her continuing dismay, the weather remained unfavorable on Tuesday, and the Admiral showed himself uneasy at being unable to fulfill his sovereign’s orders.

  “I have written again to the King’s Majesty,” he told Anna on Wednesday morning. “Of course, he understands that men cannot control the sea, but the delay will be frustrating to him. I have arranged for seven gentlemen to keep watch and give immediate notice of fair conditions. Hopefully, wind and weather serving, we can take passage to England tomorrow.”

  “I do hope so,” Anna replied.

  “As soon as the weather improves,” he told her, “I will have the trumpets sounded. Can your Grace hold yourself in readiness to sail as soon as you hear them?”

  “I will be ready to leave at an instant’s notice,” she promised him. “I long to go to England!”

  They were interrupted by an usher announcing the approach of Lord and Lady Lisle. The Admiral stood up.

  “Greetings, your Grace. My lady has two requests to make of you,” the Governor said.

  Lady Lisle looked hopefully at Anna. “Madam, I have two daughters by my first husband, lovely girls, and so willing to serve. The elder, Anne, has been fortunate to be granted a place in your Grace’s household, but I have been unable to secure one for the younger, Katherine, and they don’t like to be parted—”

  “Lady Lisle,” Anna interrupted, “I understand, but I must refer a matter like this to the King’s Grace.”

  “Poor Katherine has been so unlucky,” Lady Lisle went on, as if she had not spoken.

  “I will do my best,” Anna said firmly. “You wanted something else, my lady?”

  “Oh, yes!” Her ladyship was all smiles again. “Will your Grace do us the honor of joining us for supper tonight?”

  It was the last thing Anna wanted to do. Glancing at the Admiral, she detected a note of sympathy in his eyes. “That would be most kind, and I thank you both,” she said, not wanting to cause offense by another refusal.

  * * *

  —

  The Admiral and his gentlemen did their utmost to entertain Anna. They played for her, sang to her, and spoke at length about the splendors of the English royal palaces, and the preparations that had been made for her arrival. There was to be a magnificent ceremony of welcome, they told her, to be attended by the entire nobility and all the chief worthies of the realm.

  “There has been such a rush for the making of new clothes for your Grace’s coming that the tailors cannot keep up with the demand,” Sir Francis Bryan said. He was the sardonic-looking one with the eyepatch. “My outfit was ready only hours before I left for Dover.”

  Again Anna felt humbled by the stirrings her coming had caused. On Dr. Wotton’s advice, she announced she would keep open household. All were welcome to visit her and pay their respects.

  “I wish to become better acquainted with my lord the King’s subjects,” she said. She wanted to please Henry, to give him cause to love her. Daily, she sat with Susanna, trying to make sense of the English language.

  “Why do you spell ‘bough,’ ‘cough,’ and ‘rough’ the same way, and yet say them all differently?” she asked, utterly bemused.

  “Your Grace will just have to remember them,” grinned Susanna.

  “I will never master this English!” Anna sighed. Yet how else would she commu
nicate with her husband? They could not always have an interpreter present!

  In the meantime, she would learn other ways of keeping the King happy. That afternoon, she approached Dr. Olisleger.

  “I have heard that his Majesty enjoys playing cards,” she said, “but I was never taught how to play. I pray you, ask the Admiral to teach me some game the King likes.”

  Dr. Olisleger looked dubious—cards and gambling were frowned on in Kleve—but the Admiral was happy to comply. Presently, Anna found herself seated at table with him and Lord William Howard, learning to play the game of Sent, with Dr. Wotton, Susanna, and some English gentlemen standing by. It did not take her long to master the rules.

  “Your Grace plays as pleasantly as ever I saw any noblewoman do,” the Admiral complimented her.

  She found she was enjoying herself, especially after a fine French wine was brought to the table. Remembering how, in Kleve, she had entertained favored guests, she resolved that tonight she would invite these good gentlemen, whose company had so enlivened her day.

  “My lord,” she said to the Admiral, “would you do me the pleasure of coming to sup with me this evening, and bringing some noble folks to join us? I would learn more about the manners you English observe at table.”

  She had said something wrong. She knew it by the silence that fell on the merry gathering, and the looks on the men’s faces as Dr. Wotton translated her words. Susanna was sending her warning looks.

  “Madam,” the Admiral said at length, “saving your pardon, I fear it is not thought seemly in England for an unmarried lady, still less a queen, to invite a gentleman to supper. I would not for the world anger his Majesty by accepting your kind invitation, and yet I would not offend you by declining.”